Connectors of the right-angle header type comprise an insulating housing with a front, mating face, a rear face and a lower, board engaging face extending between the front face and the rear face. A series of contact members are mounted in the housing with mating/connecting portions at the mating face and lead portions extending from the rear face, and which are bent downward, essentially through 90 degrees, intermediate their ends thereby forming medial portions extending rearward from the rear face essentially parallel to the circuit board and board connecting portions extending downward so that free ends of the board connecting portions are insertable into respective connecting through-holes of a circuit board. The mating connection with a complementary connector is made in a direction parallel to the upper surface of the printed circuit board (the horizontal direction). As the lead portion bending step generally takes place after assembly of the contact members with the housing, sufficient clearance must be left above the medial portions for access thereto by a suitable bending tool.
This type of connector frequently has a large number of individual contact members and must be inspected after assembly of the contact members with the housing to detect any lead deformations, such as folds or bends in the leads, so that the lead portions can be inserted smoothly into the through-holes when the connector is mounted on the circuit board.
Commonly, as described in Japan Public Patent Disclosure Bulletin No. 4-179078, Japan Public Utility Model Bulletin No. 1-39433, and Japan Public Patent Disclosure Bulletin No. 1-308095, a lead locating and guiding member is installed on such connectors.
The lead locating and guiding member has a series of lead receiving and guiding apertures at positions corresponding to the positions of the connecting holes of the circuit board and is mounted on the housing for sliding movement from a first, lead locating position, receiving respective free ends of the lead portions, to a second position, remote from the free ends, during movement of such free ends progressively into respective connecting through-holes.
During the installation of the connector on the circuit board, the lead locating and guiding member is first positioned on the printed board with the end portions of respective lead portions in registration with respective through-holes and the housing then pressed down onto the circuit board, lost motion between the lead locating and guiding member and the circuit board enabling the individual bep to slide through the guide holes guided individually guided thereby into the respective through-holes. In addition, the lead locating and guiding member securely holds the end portions prior to installation on the circuit board, preventing the lead portions from being greatly deformed by external forces applied to the medial portions of the leads. However, even if the leads have not been deformed during assembly of the connector, they are sometimes subjected to external deforming forces during subsequent transportation.
An attempt to install a connector with deformed lead portions which brings end portions of the deformed lead portions into abutment with the upper surface of the board instead of being inserted into the through-holes will cause the deformed lead portions to be pushed upward with respect to the housing thereby to accommodate the deformation with the result that the connector may appear to be located correctly on the upper surface of the board and therefore be judged, incorrectly, as correctly installed as though all of the lead portions were inserted into the through-holes.
This problem also arises in connectors with an lead locating and guiding member attached, as any deformed free end portions which project below the lead locating and guiding member may not be inserted into the through-holes when the connector is installed on the board.